Mardi Gras set for a different tone after tragedy

The tone of Saturday’s Mardi Gras parade will be mixed as the community grapples with the alleged murders of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, event organisers say.

There are no specific plans to remember the pair, organisers say, beyond a community vigil to be held on Friday night at Green Park in Darlinghurst, which is said to be taking place with the consent of Baird and Davies’ families.

But with NSW Police set to march in the event – after a last-minute deal allowing them to participate out of uniform – Mardi Gras chief executive Gil Beckwith said she hoped there would not be any clashes between protesters and police working at the event.

“We do encourage people to express themselves, and sometimes that is being activist or political or joyous. That’s what Mardi Gras is all about, we’re built on the shoulders of activism. But I also want people to be respectful of each other.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (centre) marches with colleagues in the 2023 Mardi Gras parade.Credit: AP / Mark Baker

Far-left activist group Pride in Protest said the community had “lost confidence” in the Mardi Gras board over the compromise and that “if the police march this weekend, then the board must be dissolved”.

But amid feelings of grief and anger, event co-chair Brandon Bear said everyone would be welcome at the parade, regardless of how they were feeling.

“Mardi Gras has always been a lot of things to a lot of people,” he said at a press conference on Friday morning. “And we have had situations in the past where we have come together to celebrate, but also come together to mourn, to create change.

“So everyone brings what they are going to bring to Mardi Gras. For some people, this will be a more sombre event. Some people may choose to sit this one out. But … if you do come along to the parade on Saturday, there will be a space for you. We will hold that space for you, and you can be part of our community in that space.”

On Monday night, Mardi Gras requested that police not march in the parade due to the raw anger in parts of the community over the alleged murder of Baird and Davies by serving gay police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon.

But Police Commissioner Karen Webb, Police Minister Yasmin Catley and Mardi Gras organisers met on Tuesday and eventually agreed on a deal to allow officers to take part.

“Police have agreed not to march in uniform, in consideration of current sensitivities,” Webb said. “The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an important event on the NSW Police calendar, and as commissioner, I am committed to continuing to strengthen the relationship between my organisation and the LGBTQIA+ community.”

On Friday, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she was sympathetic to concerns of the LGBTQ community but said she thought “we still need to walk side by side and achieve those changes together”.

“It was a real breakthrough when they came in Mardi Gras [after] their behaviour at the first Mardi Gras.

“I think it was a great thing that police came into the parade. And I think they should stay there. I think things are being exposed now that aren’t good, they’ve been exposed.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.